FERGUSON The Doctrine of Baptism 225
the revealed (MUOTIKGOV) teachings.^4 He takes up the difficulty professed
by some in seeing a connection between 'prayer to God, invocation of heav-
enly grace, water, and faith' and the accomplishment of 'the mystery of
rebirth' to eternal life.^5 The subsequent discussion of baptism may be seen
as taking up in turn the three requirements for Christian baptism—invo-
cation of heavenly grace, water and faith. Prayer and the heavenly grace
form the background of the argument;^6 then comes a discussion of the
mystery of the water and related matters;^7 the subject of faith is introduced
at the end of that section;^8 then following the discussion of the eucharist,^9
right faith becomes the theme.^10 The treatise concludes with the moral
results to be expected.^11 These three requirements for baptism (divine invo-
cation, water and faith) are related to the theological points that I have
chosen to emphasize: incarnation, death and resurrection, and eschato-
logical cleansing and salvation.
Gregory poses the question, 'How do prayer and invocation (87TIKATIOIS)of divine power on the water become the cause (apxriyos) of life to those
being initiated'?^12 He responds with the analogy of the physical birth to
the spiritual birth. One cannot perceive a connection between the moist
seed (the sperm) and the resulting human person endowed with all the
attributes of reason, yet if divine power can change that visible (TO 4>ai-
vopevov) underlying matter (TO UTTOKeipevov) into a human being, it isnothing marvellous for the divine power to bring about a 'new birth
through this sacramental dispensation (TOIS 5ia Trjs puaTiKrjs TCXUTTIS
oiKovonias avayevvco|JEVois)'. Others may say, 'What is there in com-
mon between water and life?' We will say to them, 'What is there in com-
mon between a moist seed and the image of God?'^13 The power of God
- GNO 82.1-5 (PG, xlv, cols. 81D-84A).
- GNO 82.16-17 (PG, xlv, col. 84B); cf. GNO 91.19-23 (PG, xlv, col. 92B),
which substitutes repentance for faith in the triad of requirements, and 92.13-25 (PG,
xlv, col. 92D)—'invoke his living power.. .faith and water'. Cf. Kees, Lehre, pp. 164,
167-68. - GNO 82.5-86.5 (PG, xlv, cols. 84A-85D).
- GNO 89.6-92.25 (PG, xlv, cols. 85D-93A).
- GNO 92.11-25.
- GNO 93.1-98.6 (PG, xlv, cols. 93A-97B).
- GNO 98.7-102.3 (PG, xlv, cols. 97C-101A).
- GNO 102.4-106.18 (PG, xlv, cols. 101B-105C).
- GNO 82.20-21 (PG, xlv, col. 84B).
- GNO 82.23-84.5 and 85.5-86.1 (PG, xlv, cols. 84B-D; col. 85B-C). Gregory
uses the analogy of human birth and spiritual birth to the same point in In diem luminum: